Fest to have satirical bite

'Guffman' guest of honor at Comedy Arts fest

The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and HBO have announced the first round of events for the 11th annual lineup — with a focus on satire.

Fest will pay tribute to 1996 comedy “Waiting for Guffman,” helmed by Christopher Guest. Cast members Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey and Bob Balaban and Guest will swap stories about the creation of the cult classic.

Also on tap is a Harvard Lampoon alumni reunion featuring the paper’s first female prexy and former Columbia Pictures exec Lisa Henson as well as sitcom creators Andy Borowitz and John Bowman to name a few. As part of the fest’s Writers’ Room series, a panel will discuss how the humor newspaper became an incubator for industry scribes and producers.

“Doonesbury” creator Garry Trudeau will pick up the Freedom of Speech Award, a kudo given to artists who use their craft to speak out on social issues.

Also skedded is “The Rise of the Graphic Novel,” a symposium about the comicbook’s evolution as subversive art form.

As previously announced, Jim Carrey is receiving the AFI Star Award for his career work.